Trigon's Return
by Vashti93
Summary: Gabriel is a celestial being, or angel, waiting for a chance to prove himself to his older siblings. This opportunity comes in the form of Trigon - who knows this is the last chance he'll have to slay his daughter and Earth. Gabriel is sent to Earth to help the young heroes beat Trigon once and for all.(Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one in the DC Universe)
1. Chapter 1

Gabriel blocked and parried. He advanced, deflected, and lunged – keeping up with his opponent. The _clank _of the swords grew louder as the two swordsmen dueled, unaware of their gathering audience. Gabriel finally went on the offense, his sword slicing through the air. With a twist of his wrist, he was able to disarm his opponent. He swept both of his opponent's feet before raising the sword above his head to strike the killing blow, but instead of making contact with his sparring partner, he stopped the downward slope of his sword a good centimeter from his opponent's head. "Yield," Gabriel said proudly.

"I yield," Gabriel's combatant said. He then stood to his feet as he and Gabriel faced each other and gave the other a respectful bow. "Great job, Gabriel," his partner said as he pulled the helmet off his head in a smooth motion. "Your footwork has greatly improved."

"Thanks," Gabriel said excitedly as he too took off his helmet. He stared wide-eyed at his black-haired brother, eager for his praise. "You bested me," his brother continued as he began taking off pieces of his sparring armor.

"Yeah," Gabriel said, his face grim. "But you were using just one sword. A practice sword."

"Enjoy the win, Gabriel. You are a true swordsman, regardless of what the others say. You've more than earned the right to be called a swordsman."

"But the only reason I beat you is because you were using a one practice sword instead of the two _jians _you usually use," Gabriel pulled his fingers through his sweaty, blonde hair.

"I am the best swordsman on the planet. The fact that you beat me in this type of setting is a wonder in and of itself. You need to be proud of your accomplishments and growth. You went from not knowing the difference between a sword and spear to beating me in a sparring match."

"Yeah," Gabriel scoffed as they began gathering their discarded items that were scattered about. "I beat you once out of 2,598 times."

"Okay, you have to stop keeping track of things like that."

"Just tell me honestly," Gabriel looked at his brother. He stared into his brother's silver eyes. "Were you trying?"

"Yes," his brother said firmly. "Gabriel, I'm offended you would even ask. You think I would take it easy on you just so you could win and feel better about yourself? That's what you think of me?"

"Michael, no," Gabriel immediately felt guilty. He didn't mean to offend his oldest sibling. Michael's face hardened as he crossed his arms over his broad muscular chest. "I just mean…I beat you."

"Yes, you did. Believe it or not, I'm just as shocked," Michael said as he shook out his wings, stretching them.

"You weren't using your dominate hand, were you?" Gabriel questioned again.

"I don't have a dominate hand, Gabriel. J am…how some cultures say…ambidextrous. Relax," Michael said giving his brother a friendly but firm slap on the back. "Anyway, hurry and get cleaned up. The sun is setting. The feast will begin soon. You don't want Lilah to catch you looking like…" Michael moved his hand up and down, gesturing to Gabriel's entire body.

"I know. I know," Gabriel said as he freed his wings and stretched them. He looked at his white ones. Then he looked at Michael's large black ones. There really was no comparison. Michael's wings looked better than his. Everything about him was better than Gabriel. Michael was taller; Michael had shiny, long black hair; Michael had silver eyes; and the _doublex_ angels flocked to him in droves. "I can literally hear you mentally comparing yourself to me," Michael studied his brother.

"I can't help it," Gabriel said with a sigh.

"Excuses," Michael accused. "Look, I know I am a glorious creature to behold." Gabriel rolled his eyes at his brother's playful boasting, "I cannot help it. Some of us are just created more gorgeous than others." Gabriel threw a sweaty cloth at his brother's face. "In all seriousness, Gabriel," Michael said, taking a more serious tone. "you have to stop comparing yourself to others." He lay a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder. "It will do you know good." Gabriel's expression fell. "Look," Michael tried again. "I will not pretend that I know what it is like to be the youngest of eight, as I am the first. I know it feels like you are always being overshadowed by our accomplishments." Gabriel couldn't argue with that. Michael was always good at reading and catching the smallest, most minute details. "I just want a chance to prove myself. Strike out on my own."

"I know." A slow grin formed on Michael's face. "Be at the feast tonight," Michael said as his wings began to beat, lifting him from the ground. "I promise you - you will not regret it."

"Tell Lilah I will be there. Now let me go so I can prepare."

"Later, brother," Michael said before taking off at lightspeed. Gabriel sighed as he watched his brother fly away. Michael was so cool. _Why couldn't I be as cool as Michael?_ he thought with a sigh as he took off.


	2. Chapter 2

Raven sat atop the tower, looking out at the city of San Francisco. The sun had not yet risen. The city was still quiet…well as quiet as it could possibly be at 3:00 a.m. Their tower may be a couple of miles from the inland, but if Raven tried really hard, she could still sense every person in the city. She placed her head in her hands as her legs swung off the edge of the tower. Raven shivered as an early morning, spring breeze blew through the air. Maybe she should have grabbed a jacket or something. The sound of a bike motor reached her ears. Raven looked down at the single stretch of road connecting their tower with the mainland. Raven reached out with her powers. "Tim," she breathed out. Raven hated how her heart sped up at the thought of Titan's current leader. She seriously thought her crush on him had dissipated. But nope. She still wanted him. Which, she guessed there was nothing wrong with her liking Tim. Their relationship had grown over the past few years, and they spoke a lot every time they went to Gotham. And he trusted her enough to be the leader of the Titans when either he or Cassie were unavailable, the latter vacationing with Connor somewhere in Kansas. But she was happy he was back. The last few months had been different. Raven couldn't put her finger on it, but something was definitely wrong. It felt like, the tables of magic had shifted or been turned or whatever. And her dreams…her dreams were not good. They were also one of the reasons she had all but begged for Tim to return. She had been leading the Titans for a month, and technically, she had two weeks left until Cassie and Connor returned. But, she didn't want to disturb Cassie. Connor's memories had only just returned. Those two deserved their vacation. Thankfully, Tim didn't ask why she wanted him back so soon. He wasn't supposed to return until June, but that was three weeks away. But something kept pressing on the edge of Raven's subconscious, and she no longer felt 100%. Maybe she should greet him in the garage. Raven teleported herself there just as Tim was removing his helmet. He shook his hair out before turning towards her. His blue eyes widened when he saw her. He then broke out into a smile. "Hey, Raven. How long have you been standing there? Were you waiting for me?" Instead of answering, Raven calmly walked towards him and threw her arms around his neck. She had to stand on her tiptoes to reach his neck. This action caught Tim completely off guard. But Raven slowly felt his arms wrap around her waist. "I missed you," Raven said, willing the trembling in her limbs to stop.

"I missed you, too," Tim whispered back, breathing in her scent. But he was a little worried. Her actions both shocked and worried him. Willingly hugging anyone was not in Raven's character. "How'd you get here so soon?" Raven asked as she released him. "I only asked if you could return earlier than usual. But I didn't want to cause any alarm." _Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie,_ Raven thought. She thought about using her powers to manipulate his emotions in a way that would make him come back, but that was two weeks ago and she had been away for almost 128 hours. She hadn't been thinking straight then. "I was already on my way here when I received your message," Tim said setting his helmet on his bike. "Were you really up waiting for me?" Tim asked, his eyes flashing with humor.

"No, of course not," Raven blushed while placing a strand of hair behind her ear as she turned to walk back inside the tower. "I didn't even know you were coming."

"I wanted to surprise you guys with breakfast, but you ruined it," he said with a smile as they waited for the elevator.

"Oh you can still cook breakfast. I won't stop you," Raven said. She loved Tim's waffles. They were second to only Cyborg's. Everyone had their things. Martian Manhunter loved Chocos; Starfire had been obsessed with mustard; she liked waffles. "I didn't expect anyone to be awake at 3 a.m.," Tim said as he and Raven entered the elevator. "You like to wake up to watch the sunrise, and it's way to early for that. Why are you up?" Tim asked. She wasn't looking at him, but she could sense his probing gaze. "I was reading," Raven said, which was half-true. She had been reading. "I then went to the roof of the tower to get some air. That's when I saw you drive up," Raven finished as the elevator stopped on the main floor. Motion sensor lights that were dimmed lit the common room area. Tim unzipped his leather jacket and threw it on the couch. "What made you come back early?" Raven asked. "You said you were already on your way back."

"Oh," Tim said in understanding as he jumped over the back of the couch, landing on the cushions. "Bruce didn't need me anymore. And I didn't want to be stuck in the manor with Damian. I decided, why not come back here?"

"Aww, you chose us over Damian. I'm touched," Raven said, still standing behind the couch. Tim turned to look at Raven, "I would choose you over Damian any day."

"You mean the team."

"No," Tim said, "only you." Raven bit her lip, glad the lights were only at 20% so Tim did not see her blush. "Come," Tim said patting the couch next to him. "Sit with me."

"Aren't you tired?"

"I drank three pots of coffee at the hotel I spent the night out," Tim said as Raven sat next to him…or close to next to him. There was a foot and a half of space. "Catch me up," Tim said. "The place is still intact," he said looking around. "So _A _for cleanliness." Raven chuckled.

"Let's see," she said cracking her neck and releasing tension from her shoulders. "Garfield is head over heels for Queen Perdita. He spends every moment of everyday face-timing her. I think she could do better, but to each his own. He also recently decided he wanted to get in showbiz. So he's been auditioning. A lot. I threatened to break his thousand-dollar camera because he kept shoving it in my face. A second later, I broke his thousand-dollar camera." Tim laughed. "Of course you did," he said.

"He wanted to make a video diary. I told him he could as long as I was not in it."

"He could have edited you out, Rae. You didn't have to break his camera."

"I know," Raven said, feeling no remorse. Tim laughed again. "His stepfather bought him a new one the very next day. He's fine. Rose is still Rose, and I'm 99% sure she singlehandedly took down an illegal underground strip club." Tim's eyebrows rose (no pun intended). "Really?" he asked.

"Fifth one this month. Who knew San Fran had so many?" Tim laughed as Raven continued. "Bart spends his days playing games alone since Garfield now spends all of his time talking to Perdita. But Jaime has stopped by a few times to keep him company; they volunteer at kitchens and stuff. It hasn't been busy on the villain front. There was a bomb scare."

"I heard about that," Tim said.

"And a meta did blow up a chemistry lab at one of the high-schools."

"I saw that on the news. Expertly handled by the way."

"Thank you very much," Raven said. Her head cocked in contemplation. "And that's everyone."

"No it's not," Tim said with a smile.

"Cassie and Connor aren't here," Raven answered.

"But you are."

"Me…you want to know what's new with me?" Raven pointed to herself. "Nothing. I'm the same Raven I was when you left me in charge. Nothing has changed," Raven whispered. Tim continued to stare at her. Raven's leg started shaking. When had Tim's stare unnerved her so much? Never. Tim opened his mouth to respond when a small alert sound echoed from Raven's communicator. "It's not an emergency," Raven said, "just someone asking for a hand."

"Where?" Tim asked.

"The hospital downtown." Raven stood to her feet. "I'll come with," Tim said.

"Tim, are you sure? You just got back?"

"Three pots of coffee, remember?" Tim said

"It's not the emergency alarm, it's the 'we would like assistance' alarm, I can go by myself."

"Nope," Tim said grabbing her hand and pulling her to the elevator.

"I can teleport us there."

"Like you said, it's not an emergency. I have a back-up utility belt and suit on my R-cycle. Let's go."

By the time they reached the garage, Raven was already in her uniform, hood up. "I'm not going to sit behind you on a bike while you drive and change at the same time," Raven stated firmly. "Relax," Tim said. "Close your eyes for 15 seconds." Raven did so. "Done, get on." Raven opened her eyes to see Tim in his old Red Robin uniform – no wings. "How'd you change so fast?" Raven asked as she trapped on the helmet offered by Tim.

"Bruce. Hold on," Tim said as he revved the engine and took off.

* * *

Moments later, Raven teleported herself and Red Robin into the hospital. "Thank goodness you're here," a nurse behind the desk said. "They need you back there," she pressed a button opening the door. A sharp pain went through Raven's head. "Ow," she said, grabbing her head.

"Are you okay?" Red Robin looked at her in concern.

"I'm fine."

"Over here!" a doctor screamed. Raven and Red Robin ran to the room halfway down the hall, where a distraught mom and a few cops were gathered. The closer they got to the room, the sicker Raven began to feel. "What happened?" Red Robin asked the doctor in charge.

"There was a raid. The cops brought her in. Her eyes are black and she's asking for Raven," the doctor said, his face pale. Raven looked beyond the doctor into the room. Just a kid. A little girl to be exact. Wearing very muddy bloody clothes. "Every time we try to get close to her, she screams 'Raven'. So, I'm glad you showed up," he said more to Raven.

"Please help my daughter," the women cried. Raven took a step forward, but Red Robin quickly grabbed her arm. "I'll be fine," Raven said. "I'm not sensing anything strange. The girl's just scared," Raven said. Red Robin released her arm with a firm nod. "I'll ask the cops what happened. Be careful." Raven rolled her eyes as she entered the ER room. A strange feeling overtook Raven. She felt – she felt – she felt nothing, which was strange. The girl had been very much afraid two seconds ago. This didn't make any sense. "Hello," Raven greeted as she slowly approached the patient who was facing the wall, "my name is Raven. I was told you wanted to see me." Raven stood in front of the child and immediately backed up in shock. The girl's eyes were black and she started saying, "Sister," repeatedly, in a demonic voice.

"What the – " Suddenly symbols appeared everywhere around the room – on the walls, the ceiling, the floor. "No," Raven said shaking her head, "No." She refused to go through this again. The little girl, with supernatural speed, reached out and grabbed Raven's wrist before yanking her closer. "Aah," Raven tried not to scream. The girl's hand was burning Raven's skin. "He has a message for you, and you will listen," the little girl said in a demonic voice. A wind came out of nowhere, surrounding the two. Papers, instruments, machines began flying around the room as the girl placed her little hand right over Raven's chakra stone. "Listen," the little girl demanded. Images flashed through Raven's mind. Blood, decapitated bodies, pain. Her father's voice screamed in her head. "No," Raven said trying to pull her hand from the child's unnaturally strong grip. "I killed you," Raven trembled. "You're dead." The child squeezed Raven's wrist harder, and Raven felt the bones began to crack. "Did you really think I would be defeated so easily?" the child laughed in her father's voice. "Child, you merely locked me away. Your brothers released me."

"Wherever you are, you're still stuck. Otherwise, you'd be here already," Raven said through gritted teeth. The child tightened her hold on Raven, causing Raven to cry out in pain. "I may not be able to get to you physically; but I can destroy you mentally. As long as I'm alive, we are connected."

"My friends – "

"Your friends will do what!" Trigon shouted through the child. "They'll be too busy fighting your brothers." Raven's eyes widened. "That's right, daughter. It's time we had a family reunion. See you soon," the child then shoved Raven into the wall before her body hit the floor. The wind died down, and the pain had disappeared. Raven sat up, head buried in her knees, trying to get her breathing under control. "Um, excuse me," she heard a small voice say. Raven looked up to see wide, blue, innocent eyes staring at her. "Do you know where my mommy is?" she asked. Raven quickly looked around the room. Everything was intact. Not a single item was out of place. It was as if nothing had happened. Raven looked at her wrist. No broken bones…well, there was a slight bruise but that's all. "I know where your mom is, kid," Raven said, standing from the floor. She exited the room, holding the child's hand. Her face betrayed none of the shock and terror she felt. "Margie!" the mom shouted as soon as she saw them.

"Mommy!" the little girl screamed, releasing Raven's hand and running straight into her mother's arms.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," the mom repeated with tears streaming down her face. "Thank you so much." Raven's hood had fallen off during the…whatever that was. She wasn't able to hide. She wished she could, especially, when Red Robin, a cop, and a doctor came over. All of them thanking Raven. The doctor ushered the mother and daughter into another room to do a quick checkup. Red Robin stood by her side, along with the cop. She had no clue what they were saying because the images she had just seen and her father's voice were running through her head, drowning out any and all noise. Her stomach started churning when she thought about the images. She had eaten in two days, but she was going to be sick. Where was the trash can? She looked around frantically. "Are you okay, Raven?" Red Robin asked. Raven ignored him and instead teleported to a trashcan located at the very end of the hall before puking her guts out. "Raven!" she heard Red Robin shout.

"Get some water!" she heard another voice say. But water wasn't going to help. Nothing could help her.


	3. Chapter 3

Raven and Red Robin didn't return to the tower until 6 a.m. After throwing up, Raven had proceeded to collapse, much to her embarrassment. Red Robin told her she had only been out for a minute. When asked what happened, she blamed it on dehydration - said dehydration was a side effect from interacting with a spirit. Why the spirit wanted to speak to Raven, she did not know. Though the entire hospital staff believed her, Red Robin mentally called her out on her bullshit. Raven simply fixed him with a glare. She tried to reassure everyone that she was fine, but Red Robin refused to let her leave the hospital until she was rehydrated. Raven wanted to protest, but then he said she either accepted the IV or told him what really happened. Raven chose option 1. She was _so _not ready to discuss her dad. Once she had enough fluid Red Robin and Raven thanked the doctors and left the hospital. Raven suggested she fly home, and Red Robin looked at her like she had just said the dumbest thing anyone could ever say. She reluctantly put her arms around Red Robin as they sped back to the Tower. Raven stared out at the sunrise doing her best to ignore her father's voice ringing in her head.

As soon as Red Robin pulled into the Titan garage, Raven jumped off the bike. She held the helmet out to Red Robin before saying, "I'm gonna shower and change. And sleep." She turned to walk away but was stopped when Red Robin called her name. "Raven," he said. Raven slowly turned to see blue eyes looking at her in concern. "I know something happened back there. Are you going to tell me?" Raven nodded. "I will," she said. Tim looked skeptical. "I promise. Today…or tonight. But definitely before tomorrow. I just need to…" she pulled her fingers through her hair. "I need to piece together what I saw. Did the cops say what happened?"

"An underground cult had kidnapped the girl."

"What! Why?" Raven asked. "And how did they get caught?" Tim shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "But the detective I spoke to asked for some help." Raven nodded, biting her lip and turning away. "I need to…I'm gonna take a quick a nap. I'll catch up with you later." She teleported away from him before he could utter another word. He sighed. The coffee was wearing off. He needed a nap, too.


	4. Chapter 4

Tim dropped his luggage on the floor and began to undress as soon as he entered his bedroom. He was exhausted. Wearing only his boxers, he threw himself on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, not thinking of anything in particular. He rolled onto his stomach and began fishing for his phone. Once he found it, he unlocked it and began scrolling through his text messages. Raven wasn't the only Titan who had been asking Tim to come back. Rose, Garfield, and Bart all barraged his phone with texts begging him to come back. Tim had originally assumed that they didn't like Raven's leadership. But Garfield said her leadership was fine. They were worried more about her physical and emotional well-being. Her nightmares had returned with a vengeance. Things around the tower would shake when it was a particularly intense dream. Bart had even caught her sleepwalking, sporting her four eyes. But Raven would never remember sleepwalking. Because the other Titans always made sure to clean up whatever mess Raven's nightmare had created before she woke, (It helped that Bart was scary fast) Raven was not aware of the mini earthquakes her nightmares sometimes created. She was losing weight because she wasn't eating; she would stare out the window or stare into space. He had received 200 texts from his three teammates within a span of 48 hours – which is why he had cut his trip to Gotham short. He sighed and rolled onto his stomach. Five minutes. He would close his eyes for five minutes. That's all he needed. Five minutes.


	5. Chapter 5

Gabriel sat at the head table with his brothers and sisters, watching the merriment and mirth around him. "Gabriel." Gabriel turned to see his sister Lilah take a seat next to him. She was the second oldest. "Michael said he was bested by you today." Gabriel rolled his eyes. "It's not true?" Lilah asked.

"No," Gabriel said, "I did."

"Good for you!" Lilah grabbed her younger brother's arm in excitement.

"I still think he wasn't trying."

"Gabriel," Lilah said firmly. "When has Michael ever not tried at anything?" she demanded.

"I know. I know," Gabriel said.

"You doubt yourself so much, you cannot even celebrate when you've accomplished something great? No one has ever beaten Michael in sparring."

"You did," Gabriel said.

"Once. Almost 100 years ago. Has Michael told you about the surprise?" Lilah asked, changing the subject.

"You guys haven't arranged my marriage or something, have you?"

"No," Lilah said, scrunching her nose. "You know Michael would never force you into a marriage. Gabriel, why are you being so difficult?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Gabriel apologized. "I just…_me_? I beat him today. Me?"

"I can't believe it either," a third voice, Benjamin, joined the conversation. "Michael told me, and I thought he was making a joke with Gabriel as the punchline." Lilah and Gabriel both glared at Benjamin. "What?" he said. "It's true."

"Michael has been training Gabriel one-on-one for years," Lilah came to her youngest sibling's defense. "It was bound to happen. Now leave," Lilah ordered Benjamin.

"Oh, come on, Lilah. I was just –"

"Now," she growled, her purple and silver eyes glowing with rage. Benjamin immediately got the message and flew to a different table. Lilah turned to Gabriel. "You haven't danced."

"I don't want to," Gabriel said as Lilah stood.

"Too bad," she answered, yanking him to the dance floor. "It's my creation day celebration. You have to do what I say." Gabriel reluctantly let his sister, Lilah, lead him to the floor as the music picked up, silencing all thoughts of sparring and inadequacy.

* * *

The six celestial siblings reclined on sofas made of fabrics that felt like clouds stitched together. "All right, all right, all right," Michael stood, getting his siblings attention. "First, I would like to congratulate Lilah for making it to 427. You are ancient."

"You're older than me, Michael," Lilah responded.

"Semantics."

"That's not what that word means," Abigail said with a laugh. Michael simply waved his two sisters off. "Also," he continued, "today, our youngest brother Gabriel bested in me in sparring." "Seriously?" Thomas asked. Michael nodded. "How did I not know of this?" Thomas asked himself aloud.

"You were too busy with –"

"Thank you, Diana!" Thomas snapped at his younger sister.

"Thomas," Michael pinned his younger brother with a dark glare, "do we need to have _that _conversation again."

"No," Thomas said, pouting. "Continue," he waved a dismissive hand at Michael.

"As I was saying," Michael continued, "Gabriel bested me today. And, after deliberating with Lilah and Father, I think it is time he had his own mission."

"What!" Gabriel exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise. "Really?" Michael gave an affirmative nod. "Oh my…I can't…I've waited…"

"He's going to swoon," Benjamin joked.

"Shut up, Benjamin," Michael glared at the fourth eldest.

"I…where…when?" Gabriel asked excitedly.

"Tomorrow."

"Omigosh," Gabriel's wings started flapping excitedly, slowly lifting him up in the air.

"Calm down," Michael laughed, "I haven't even given you the details yet." Gabriel sat back down, eagerly waiting for his brother to continue. Michael brought up a hologram map of the universe. "Your mission will be in this quadrant over here," the map shifted by itself while Michael spoke. "The people of the planet you are going call it the Milky Way."

"Strange name," Gabriel said.

"Agreed. You are going to Earth."

"I knew it," Benjamin threw his hands up in exasperation. "Of course the youngest gets sent to the one place he's always dreamed about."

"Benjamin," Lilah sent him a glare.

"What? We all remember when Gabriel was younger. He used to always sneak up the mountain to the spheres and watch the humans of Earth." Gabriel's face reddened in embarrassment. "I will never understand your fascination with such weak beings."

"Shut up, Benjamin!" Diana yelled. "Michael, please continue."

"Our seers say Earth is about to be attacked by one of its greatest foes," Michael said.

"Who?" Gabriel asked.

"Trigon." The five other siblings gasped. "I thought Trigon was dead," Thomas spoke. "How is he alive?"

"Unclear," Michael answered. "But I am pretty sure one wayward brother of ours has something to do with it."

"Doesn't Trigon have a…spawn on that planet?" Lilah asked.

"Yes. The spawn is the one who actually defeated him last time."

"Well, the spawn obviously didn't do a good job because Trigon is back," Benjamin bit out.

"You need to prevent Trigon from taking over the planet, and vanquish him for good," Michael told Gabriel, ignoring Benjamin.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to send Gabriel on _this _mission? It is his first. And Trigon is a force to be reckoned with," Abigail said.

"I have already spoken to Father. He thinks Gabriel will succeed," Michael said. "And I have great faith in you, Gabriel. I trained you myself."

"You are so arrogant," Abigail said.

"It's self-confidence. There is a difference. Anyway, the way it usually works is Trigon enters the planet through an offspring. But this particular offspring destroyed him years ago."

"That is one powerful spawn," Benjamin muttered. Gabriel nodded in agreement. "But the fact of the matter is, this time, Trigon may received help from his other…offspring," Michael said. "Earth can't fall. Are you up for it?" Gabriel nodded excitedly. "When do I leave?" he asked.

"You and I will go over the specifics tomorrow morning. You will head out afterwards." Gabriel nodded. "I can do this," Gabriel said excitedly, "I won't let you down."


	6. Chapter 6

Raven stared into her steaming cup of chai tea, basking in its warmth, inhaling the spicy scent. All the while, her teammates were speaking animatedly with Tim, catching up with their beloved leader. Raven smiled to herself as Garfield pulled out his phone, showing pictures of himself and Perdita. Rose was attacking her plate of waffles like a ravenous wolf. Bart was running around excitedly like a child. Then again, he was only 15 years old and considered Tim his older brother. Raven brought her mug to her mouth. Her father's word replayed in her head over and over again, making her feel nauseous. She couldn't deal with this again. Raven leaned back against the counter and closed her eyes, thankful to be wearing a hood. _Two_ _times_. That's how many times she's beat Trigon. The first time, he had only escaped from a prison she mentally controlled. The second time, he had successfully set his feet on Earth. Going toe-to-toe with him that time almost killed her. Now here she was, pushing 19, still worrying about Trigon. Was it too much to ask for her father to stay dead? Was it? Did she need to make a sacrifice to the universe or something? "Raven!" Raven's head snapped up at the sound of her name. All of her teammates were staring at her with worry. "Yeah?" Raven asked uneasily.

"Uh…you okay?" Garfield asked. "We called your name four times." Tim's blue eyes were filled with concern. "Sorry," Raven said, waving their concern away. "I'm tired. What was the question?"

"Team meeting later?" Tim asked. Raven nodded before she continued sipping her tea. The conversation among her teammates began once again. However, Tim's prying eyes never once strayed from her.

* * *

Raven stared at the photo frame in her hand. It was a picture of the entire team, taken at a lake sometime last year. They all seemed so happy. Even she wore a slight smile. She continued to peruse the few photos Tim had in his room. She had no photos in her room – that was a personal choice. She picked up another picture. It was her, Cassie, Rose, and Barbara holding up a sign – "Congratulations, Tim!" He had just graduated college. The girls weren't able to make his graduation party, being they were on a mission. Afterwards, they ended up on a beach in the Caribbean where they forced Raven into a bikini. Literally, forced. She felt so violated that day. "That picture is one of my favorites," she heard from behind her. She turned to Tim, frame in hand. "It's because we're all wearing bikinis, right?" Raven guessed.

"Well, obviously," he smiled back as he walked over to her. "I like it because, for the first time, you seemed to be enjoying yourself." He stood right in front of her. Raven could feel the heat radiating from his body. "How can you tell?" she asked not looking up at Tim. "I'm not even smiling." Tim gently pulled the frame from her, his hands brushing hers purposefully. "Your eyes," he said. "You are one of the only people I know whose face can say one thing, while your eyes say another. Your eyes are your only tell," he said, gazing into her violet eyes. "It took me a very long time to pick up on it. But once I did, you became open book to me. It's how I was able to beat you at poker."

"One time," Raven breathed looking away from Tim. Tim, however, placed a hand under Raven's chin and gently lifted her head until her eyes were on him. "It's also how I can tell when you're lying about something bothering you." Raven saw only compassion in his eyes. He then used one finger to stroke her arm before grabbing her hand, leading her to his bed. "What happened at the hospital?" Raven exhaled. She opened her mouth, but she didn't even know where to begin. "I'll go first," Tim volunteered, grabbing his laptop, "SFPD has been tracking a secret cult. Total of 15 murders in two weeks."

"Why didn't they alert us? We could have helped," Raven exclaimed.

"They didn't even know what they were dealing with. The murders occurred in different districts. One cop was visiting their brother in a different district. A photo of one of the altars caught his eye." Raven remained quiet as she began thinking. "What?" Tim asked.

"Every morning I would meditate and reach out with my powers to scan the city. I didn't sense anything. I should have been able to sense some sort of distress," Raven said. "How could I have not…?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Tim calmed her. "Do you know how many people are in this city? And since when can you scan the emotions of an entire city?"

"It is a very complicated spell and takes a lot of practice. But I can explain it to you –"

"No, no, no," Tim said with a laugh as he turned on his laptop. "That won't be necessary. Anyway, this cult has been operating in the basements of libraries and churches…even a sewer. At each of these sites, a dead female body was discovered, throat slit. Dry blood everywhere. Each female younger than the last. I hacked into their system. Downloaded everything they had on the case. I haven't had time to look at the files."

"But a four-year-old girl? That's really young."

"The cops charged in before the ceremony could be completed and found her already writhing, clawing at her throat. The cops said the site was disturbing. By the time EMTs arrived with the girl at the hospital, her eyes were glowing black; she was shouting for you. Also, the girl had been reported missing two days ago." Raven opened her mouth to respond, but a _ding _for Tim's laptop stopped her. "They finished downloading," he said excitedly, as he scooted closer to Raven. She had to calm her racing heart. Tim scrolled through pictures of dead women. Throats slit. Wrists slit. "They aren't prostitutes," Raven whispered.

"Hmm?" Tim looked at her.

"Usually these cults use prostitutes or homeless teens, at least my father's cult did. But these women either have jobs or families or both," Raven explained. "This woman," Raven pointed to a black-haired, 30 year old, "belongs to a very expensive country club." Tim continued to stare at her with a look Raven couldn't decipher. "What?" Raven asked, her face heating up.

"Nothing," Tim turned back to his laptop with a smile. "Oh, here's the name of cult," Tim pointed. "The officer couldn't remember the name. He said it was Latin or Greek. Cult of _Gorminget." _Tim looked confused. "That word doesn't exist in any language I know. You?"

"No."

"According to the web, this word doesn't exist at all. I'm hard-pressed to believe these people made up their own word."

"Maybe it's alien. From a different planet or…dimension," Raven finished slowly. She studied the word, hard; her mind working a mile a minute. She tried to put herself in her father's shoes – the thought alone grossed her out. "Could it be an anagram?" she asked after a few minutes.

"That makes sense," Tim stared at the word in deep thought. "I have thought of at least 100 possible variations. None of them make sense."

"One hundred variations in 30 seconds?" Raven asked, impressed. Sometimes she forgot Tim had a brain that operated like a supercomputer.

"I know," Tim turned to her, giving her a big smile. "I'm awesome." Raven blushed before turning back to the computer. She started playing with the letters in her head. "I can't think of any…thing," Raven finished slowly.

"Raven?" Tim stared at his teammate who's eyes were glued to his computer screen, "what do you see?" Raven continued to stare silently at the screen. She was going to be sick. "Talk to me, Raven," Tim tried to shake her from whatever trance she was in, gently stroking her arm as her breath became short. "Raven," Tim said soothingly. But Raven was in her own world. She wanted it to be a dream. She really, really wanted it to be a dream. "It's – um – it's Trigon," she breathed.

"What?" Tim didn't hear. Raven held up a shaky finger and began spelling out T-R-I-G-O-N-G-E-M. "Trigon," Tim said. "Gem."

"And gem is me. He always called me his gym." Raven's stomach started churning. She could feel vomit creeping up her esophagus. She jumped off Tim's bed. "I'm gonna be sick," she said, sprinting to Tim's bathroom, emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl.


	7. Chapter 7

Tim held Raven's hair back as she wretched violently. There was nothing in her stomach, and Tim couldn't help but wonder where all of it was coming from? Her stomach had to be empty, and yet, it just kept coming. Moments later, after the vomit and dry heaving ended, Tim slowly released Raven's hair before grabbing a washcloth, wetting it, and handing it to her. He then ran to his mini-fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. He heard the faucet turn on and decided to give her a minute. A few minutes later, when only silence filled the room, Tim returned to his bathroom. Raven sat on a closed toilet bowl, head hung low in despair, a waterfall of hair covering her face. "Hey," he called softly as he sat on floor in front of her, handing her the water. Raven took a long swig before saying, "Sorry." Her violet eyes were wide opened, glossy, and scared. "I've gone toe-to-toe with a 9 foot crocodile," Tim said, pushing loose hair behind Raven's hair. "A little bit of throw-up doesn't scare me," he gave her a flirtatious smile. Raven blushed. "Are you okay to stand?" Tim asked worriedly. Raven nodded. "Good," he said as he scooped her up in his arms.

"Tim," Raven said, "I can walk."

"I know," he said. "But I want to play hero. Do you know how many times you save me when we're out in the field?"

"A lot," Raven answered without hesitation, causing Tim to laugh. Her heart jumped at the sound as put her on his bed. "You can rest here," he said.

"I need to tell you what happened at the hospital," Raven replied.

"You need sleep."

"It's important," Raven said defiantly.

"Okay," Tim said, nodding as he sat down. Raven took a deep breath and began recounting the events in the hospital room. Tim never once took his eyes off of her.

* * *

Gabriel stood under the gazebo, waiting for his brother, Michael. He couldn't believe it…his first mission, alone. "Up before me, brother?" Gabriel turned to see Michael approaching. "You must be very excited."

"My chance to prove myself," Gabriel said.

"You have nothing to prove to me," Michael said. "Anyway, I wanted to give you something before sending you off." A beautiful long sword with a gold handle and silver blade appeared in Michael's hand. "For you," he said, handing it to Gabriel. Gabriel stared at the work of art in awe. "Michael," he said, "brother, this is incredible. Thank you."

"The demons will not be able to stand the slice of this blade. It was forged with heavenly iron." Michael paused. "I also wanted to warn you, the amount of darkness surrounding the earth and Trigon's eminent return, our dear old brother Luce may make an appearance. But I begin my hunt for him today."

"He will never learn," Gabriel said as he attached the sheath to his waist. "Anything else?"

"Yes. Be careful. The spawn may not take kindly to your presence." Gabriel nodded. Michael then placed his hand on Gabriel's forehead and uttered a blessing. "There," Michael said when he finished. "You are ready. Good luck." Gabriel nodded as he grabbed a marble sphere, creating a portal to Earth. _Here goes nothing._


	8. Chapter 8

"So, what you're saying," Bart began, "is that we're going to have to face Trigon…again."

"Yes," Tim said.

"Okay," Bart said. "I just wanted to clarify."

"I thought you destroyed him, Raven," Rose said.

"Me too. Evidently, I did not do a good job," Raven replied.

"And…what do we know about your brothers?" Rose inquired.

"They're nightmares. I – I haven't seen them in a while, but from what I remember, they are...nightmares." She couldn't think of a better word to describe them.

"And there's just the three of them, right?"

"No," Raven answered, "there's six. But the three older ones killed the three younger ones a few days before I came to Earth."

"Are you sure they're dead?"

"Up until this morning, yes, I was sure."

"How's he going to get here?" Garfield asked. "Is he gonna use you again?" Raven shook her head. "No. I severed that connection. He's going to have to use someone else."

"Which is why all of these…altars have been popping up," Tim spoke, showing the team a picture of a dilapidated altar. "The remaining followers of Trigon are practicing."

"That is terrifying," Garfield said.

"Yes, it is," Tim agreed.

"What about your brothers' powers?" Rose asked. "Are they like yours?"

"They can fly, teleport, make shields, and they use their dark energy to make weapons. They are astonishingly good at hand-to-hand combat," Raven answered.

"But they can't get in our heads and mess with our emotions, can they?" Bart asked in concern.

"No," Raven assured him. "They can't. I can. And my father. But he hasn't reached this plane, yet. And I put a protection spell over all of you. He wouldn't be able to mess with your mind or emotions if he wanted to. Also, the closer they are to each other, the more powerful they become."

"What role do you play in all this?" Rose asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Raven answered forlornly.

"These…sacrifices started two weeks ago?" Bart asked. Tim and Raven nodded. "That explains the night-_uh!" _he grunted having received an elbow to the ribs from Rose.

"You know," Rose began, "every time I think of how terrible my father is, I think of you, Raven. As bad as Slade is, he doesn't hold a candle to your father, and it makes me feel better."

"Real glad I can help you out, Rose," Raven stated in a monotone voice.

"Cassie and Connor have been alerted," Tim said.

"Why aren't they here?" Garfield asked.

"They're taking the scenic route," Tim answered. "I'm trying to give them as much time with each other as possible."

"That's – " Garfield was cut off by the sound of the alarm blaring throughout the tower. Tim immediately brought up a holograph image of the trouble. "Is that…"

"Cinderblock?" Bart asked.

"And Bane," Tim added.

"Isn't Bane one of Batman's?" Garfield asked.

"We'll worry about that later. Right now, the city needs us."

* * *

The Titans landed in downtown San Francisco. "Um…" Beast Boy said. "Something's wrong." Actually, nothing was wrong. Everything was fine. There was no Cinderblock or Bane. "Red," Rose looked over at their leader who was looking down at his small wrist monitor.

"Do our systems need an upgrade?" Kid Flash asked.

"I just did," Red Robin said.

"No one is here."

"I know," Red Robin said. "But the alert is still saying that Cinderblock and Bane are right here."

"That's our bad," a creepy voice said from the shadows.

"Oh no," Raven whispered.

"We needed a way to get your attention," the same voice said.

"Most people just rob a bank," Red Robin spoke.

"But hacking your system was way more entertaining."

"Why don't you come out and face us," Ravager challenged.

"Or are you scared?" Beast Boy mocked.

"Shut up," Raven whispered to Beast Boy. Three tall figures stepped out of the shadows; their faces covered with hoodies. "This child was very helpful," the one in the middle held up the limp body of Gizmo before dropping him. The Titans stared at Gizmos contorted, dead body in horror. "What do you want?" Red Robin asked.

"Aren't you happy to see us?" another one stepped forward. "Afterall, we came here for you…dear sister."

"Wait…" Beast Boy said. "You're Raven's…" The three figures simultaneously lowered their hoods, revealing the ugliest faces ever known to man. Their skin was red; each one sported four red eyes and horns; and black, oily hair. "You mean, you didn't tell them about us, sister dear?"

"You're not ashamed of us, are you?" another one spoke up.

"You guys are hideous to look at," Beast Boy continued.

"Shut up, idiot," Ravager whispered.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves. I'm the eldest – Jared. My brother to the left is Jesse. And the youngest is Jacob."

"Our quarrel isn't with you," Jesse's red eyes flashed, staring at the Titans save Raven.

"We only want Raven," Jacob said.

"Come along, sister," Jared sneered. "This doesn't have to get ugly."

"If you want her," Red Robin said, "you'll have to go through us," he said brandishing his bo-staff.

"Won't be a problem," all three brothers replied simultaneously before attacking.

"Titans, go!" Red Robin screamed as the Titans charged. Rose and Red Robin immediately became entangled with Jesse. Kid Flash and Beast Boy were immediately attacked by Jacob. Jared went toe-to-toe with Raven. They both engaged in a sky battle using dark energy. But Jared blocked every attack Raven threw at him – broke through every shield – until she had to resort to hand-to-hand. Uh!" she coughed as Jared grabbed her by the throat. "Father did say your greatest weakness was close combat," he threw her through an office building wall, landing on top of her before she could move. He grabbed her by the throat again, his nails digging into her neck. Raven stifled a cry. She grabbed a chair with her powers, slamming it into her brother's body. She formed daggers with her powers and slammed them into two of his eyes. Jared flew off his sister releasing a horrific scream. "You bitch!" he screamed. Raven continued to assault him with her black energy beams. She lifted him with her powers before slamming him on the floor. She then threw him out the building flying after him. She started picking up every object she could find and hurl it at her brother before he could reorient himself. She picked lifted a huge piece of concrete and began slamming Jared's body with it repeatedly, when suddenly she was hit by a brick wall. Actually, a green elephant had landed on top of her. "Beast…Boy," she groaned as he returned to his human shape. He was unconscious. The limp body of Kid Flash landed next to her. He too, was out of the fight. Raven pushed Beast Boy's body off her and slowly stood to her feet, facing all three of her brothers. Where was Ravager? _Where was Red Robin? _"Your teammates are so weak, Raven," Jacob said. Raven's brothers attacked her from all sides, and she couldn't seem to get the upper hand. She would hold off two, just for one to hit her from behind. Raven tried to fly away, create some space. But Jesse and Jacob made ropes with their powers. The ropes wrapped around both of her ankles before they slammed her to the ground. "Ah!" she screamed. She flew at them but was immediately slammed back to the ground by Jared. She threw him off her with her powers before flying to attack him. But all three created chains with their powers, wrapped them around her neck, and pulled. One hand immediately went to her neck, grasping at the chains; the other hand shot a wave of energy at Jacob, knocking him off his feet, taking a little strain off her neck, but not enough. Black spots began to swim in her vision as she slowly fell to her knees, still fighting her brothers' hold. She wasn't going to die, that much she knew. Her brothers needed her alive. She did second guess that theory however, when a bright light shone in her face, blinding her and her brothers. Was that…an angel?


End file.
